Rigid core-wick candle and candle device



April 36, 1968 J. R. SUMMERS RIGID COREWICK CANDLE AND CANDLE DEVICEFiled Sept. 21, 1966 (a) 3 F|G.2h e1) 3 (e) (0& w FIG.2

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[.VVILYIUR. JAMES I? SUMMERS BY e ATTORNEY-5.

United States Patent 3,3se,797 RIGID CGRE-WKCK QANJLE AND CANDLE DEVECEJames R. Summers, 353 E. Stith :Etu, New York, NY. 10322 Continuation'in-part of application Ser. No. 389,3fl7, Aug. 13, 1364. Thisapplication Sept. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 581,165

4 Jlaims. (Cl. 431292) ABSTRACT 6F THE DISCLGSURE A rigid combination ofa flame consumable core and a wick for use in fuel burning devices suchas candles. The core serves to maintain itself erect. In a candle, thecore provides rigidity to the candle. The rigid core also is able tosupport itself and devices which may descend on the core as the core isconsumed by the flame on the wick.

Te present invention relates to improved rigidizecl candles andilluminating devices and rigidizing cores and for such devices and novelcombinations with such devices and it is a continuation-impart of myco-pending Ser. No. 389,397 filed Aug. 13, 1964 now abandoned in favorof the present application.

In my United States patent application, Ser. No. 406,037 now abandonedin favor of my continuation-inpart application, Ser. No. 577,268, filedthe 6th day of September 1966 is set forth candles, tapers and w'ckswhich are structurally-adapted to provide rigidity. Such rigidity may beimparted to a candle into which the invention is included or may beintrinsic to a taper.

The present invention relates to novel applications of rigid cores andwick devices and application of the rigidity provided by such cores withwicks, taking advantage of the rigidity provided.

The present invention ditfers principally from my Ser. No. 406,037 nowabandoned in favor of my continuation-in-part application, Ser. No.577,268, filed the 6th day of September 1966 in that rigidity isprovided by a core structure in a burnable combination with a wick. Therigidity of the core portion of illuminating device may be applied tonovel uses.

The strength of the core may be used to support the novel decorationcombination of the present invention.

The need for rigidity in candles has been recognized in the past. Insome instances rigidizing of wicks has been attempted and insofar aswicks have been concerned, the need has been dealt with by the provisionof stilfeners such as thin cellulosic strips to wicks for votive candlesso that such wicks could be mounted on supports to maintain them erectand avoid the unsupported wick from toppling over into a melted fuelpool and extinguishing itself. Such stiffeners have not provided morethan a flexible stiffness as distinguished from rigidity to a wick orilluminating burning device.

A problem involved with stitleners of the past also has been that theyhave not been adapted for full consumption by the flame and oftendevelop dirty globules of unconsumed matter which drop off into the waxpool. Cellulosic stifleners or other plastic cores have not beeneffective to provide rigidity since stiffener thicknesses sufiicient toprovide rigidity have not been able to bend to reach the edge of theflame to burn or discharge the accumulated matter as with normal candleburning. Where the central stiffening portion of a wick is not consumedor dropped off, the exposed surrounding wicking may increase in size andincrease flame size as the fuel body descends.

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In recognition of this problem, awkward attempts have been made to makecertain that the stiffeners of the past were fully consumed. An attemptcombining a helical winding of wicking about a guncotton stiffenerraises a question as to the explosiveness of the guncotton. Thecomplication of getting a helical Winding of wicking to burn thestiffener end, seems like a complicated method of achieving a simpleresult.

Prior expedients of using interwoven soft metal have stiffened wicks fortheir support as in votive candles, but have not produced a rigidity.Such Wicks have usually left a melted metal residue to dirty the fuelpool.

The core configurations of the present invention provide a new means ofhaving a flame edge consume a core which is rigid enough to impart itsstrength to a candle or burning device or rigid enough for the core tobe supported.

The composition of the core is not critical as long as the core may beconsumed once brought to the flame edge, is rigid and of coursenon-explosive. The core and wick of the present invention are able toburn with a minimum of contamination of each other and of the fuel bodyand may in most instances be completely and clearly consumed.

Rigidizing cores employed in the present invention are burned undercircumstances allowing almost complete consumption by either getting thecore to the edge of the flame or being adapted to be at the edge of theflame for full consumption.

Where the core is surrounded by a capillary action wiclcing, the coremust be consumed in order for the flame size to be relatively constant.The capillarity of the wicking could draw fuel over an ever-increasingflame area as the fuel body descends were the core not consumed by theedge of the flame.

Where stern wicks are employed the core still must be consumed but theimportance of the core being brought to the edge of the flame is not ascritical since the flame is regulated by the wick size. With stem Wicksin particular, it is of the greatest importance that the core, whileburnable, is not able to sustain capillary action.

Any capillarity which might be found in wood cores is limited to asufliciently small area of outer surface as to be ineffective as a wickin itself without further treatment as may be seen in my Ser. No.406,037 now abandoned in favor of my continuation-in-part application,Ser. No. 577,268, filed the 6th day of September 1966.

In the present application, reference to rigidity of the core refers toa local stiffness and toughness against breaking. A core of the presentinvention over any great length may be flexible and resilient, but inany short area in particular, it is stitf, having sufficient stiffnessto impart a strength to a surrounding solid body of fuel. A core of thepresent invention may be brittle yet have strength against breakingbefore it reaches its brittle breaking point to provide a non-delicatesnine for a candle or the like or even to support a float or decoration.

The core may be made of any number of different substances as long asthere is propcr selection as to burnability and preferably Withoutresidue, rigidity without overbrittleness and control over capillarityin most instances so that flame size may be controlled. Consumableplastics, woods and even fibers impregnated with substances such asshellac may be used to provide rigid cores. Each substance may need itsoptional adaptation for use. For instance, hellac impregnated fiber mustbe thoroughly impregnated to k ep it rigid and nonporous.

According to the present invention, a novel rigid core- Wick combinationis provided for candles and other illuminating buming devices, eitherindependently or as an invention combination. The present inventionincludes the novel combination of a decoration adapted to descend withthe fuel body of a burning illuminating device guided by a rigid core.

Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic ofthe invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and themanner in which it may be carried out, may be further understood byreference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cut-away front elevation of a candle with one embodiment ofthe wick-core of the present invention.

FIG. 2 (ag) is a section plan view of an optional selection of coreconfigurations.

FIG. 2h is a front elevation of a twisted spiral core configuration.

FIG. 3 is a candle with a rider and decoration mounted on a core-wickconfiguration of the present invention.

Referring now to the figures in greater detail, where like referencenumbers denote like parts in the various figures.

The candle 1 as shown in FIG. 1 provides a simple solution to theproblem of consumption of the wick 2 and the core 3 which is set apartfrom the wick 2. In this instance, the wick 2 may make a natural bend tothe edge of the fiarne 5 where the carbonized end is consumed and thebottom edge 'of the flame 5 may consume and carry away the ash of therigid core 3 completely, whether the core 3 be wood, such as basswood orbamboo or plastic. The rigid core 3 should never burn independently as awick, but can burn slightly to help consume itself. The core 3 shouldnot be of appreciable independent capillary action. T he wick 2 and thecore 3 must be set far enough apart so they do not come in contact witheach other. Materials such as bamboo can be used with this method inheavy rods and will burn with a soft ash that is easily carried away bythe flame 5. If bamboo were in contact with the wicking it would becometough and leathery and could not be consumed well by the flame 5 andmight continue to build up, leaving the flame size uncontrolled.

In FIGS. 2 a-g, various circumferences of core 3 are shown. While almostany shape may work with the proper combination of candle size, variouscore shapes have certain advantages, especially with wicks such as shownin FIGS. 1 and 3.

Wooden cores 3 shaped as shown in FIG. 2a, a, e and j are especiallyvaluable since they tend to be more quickly consumed and leave noresidue especially when used with full length wicks such as shown inFIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 2h is a front elevation of a spiral twisted core 3 which may beused in special application with various selected riders among otherthings.

'In FIG. 3 a decoration 6 is attached by arms 11 to a support ring 7with a core 3 and wick 2 substantially as shown in the candle 1 inFIG. 1. A safety guide 9 tends to keep the wick 2 and rider tube 10,which is on the core 3:

and fastened to the guide 9, the desired'distance apart and tends tostabilize against irregular burning.

The combination of'rider and core also allows a rider or decoration todescend with the burning of the-candle without having to rely on thesupport of the outer periphery of waxv for support of the rider ordecoration as in the case of riders of the past.

Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic ofthe invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and themanner in which it may be carried out may be further understood byreference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

Having thus described certain forms of the invention in some detail,what is claimed is:

1. In 'a candle a rigid wick-core configuration comprising a wickportion, said wick portion adapted to normal capillarity, a non-metalliccore portion; said core portion bein of non-explosive material; saidcore portion adapted to be consumed by a dame on said wick portion assaid wick portions burns; said core portion being rigid and adapted torigidly support itself over its length, and said wick and core portionsdisposed'in substantially parallel relationship, said core and 'wickportions being laterally disposed in said candle substantially withoutcontacting each other along their length.

2. The invention of claim 1 including a rider adapted to descend withthe consumption of said core portion.

3. The invention of claim 2 including guide means on said rider adaptedto guide said wick portion as said wick and core portions are consumedby the flame on said wick.

4. The invention of claim 2 wherein said rider includes means to supportoptional objects on said rider adapted to descend with said rider assaid rider is slidably supported by said core.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 188,689 8/1960 Wolfsohn.

1,184,511 5/1916 Bourgeois 67-.51 1,974,037 9/1934 Atkins 67-222,001,377 5/1935 Candy 67--22 2,187,053 1/1940 Pratt 6722.5 2,246,3466/1941 Carroll 675 1 2,254,906 9/ 1941 Petrulis 67-21 2,829,511 4/1958Oesterle et al. 6722 3,l05,373 10/1963 Villemore et a1 6722 FOREIGNPATENTS 2,396 1/1884 Great Britain. 16,702 1/ 1915 Great Britain. 54,01710/ 1890 Germany. 486,493 1/1918 France.

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

